Are You a Risk Taker?

The lab-rat test results are in, and the researchers agree: Risking your life can actually prolong it.

Do the math conservatively and, sure, you'll end up short after you subtract the risk of crushing your skull while scaling a rock wall or unleashing an avalanche while twisting down a mountain of fresh powder on a slab of laminated polycarbon.

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But survive and you'll show a big profit: A bunch of new studies, and the history of our species, demonstrate that if you pummel your fears into submission, calm your response to run-of-the-mill stress, and get a booster shot of confidence, it will carry over into every other part of your life.

If you can show your brain what it really means to put it all on the line, you can condition your body to shrug off everyday stress and let only life's most unpredictable, high-risk, high-danger situations trigger that surge of fright, might, and oomph.

Research from the National Academy of Sciences shows that too much caution can kill. Individuals who fear novelty—scientists call them "neophobes"—are likely to die at an earlier age than those unafraid of change. The hormonal rush that accompanies fear spurs a full-body response.

That's good in the short term. But if you're overly fearful, those same hormones can put a long-term strain on your body, compromising the immune system, destroying brain cells, hardening arteries, interrupting sleep, and accelerating aging.

Fearful lab rats (remind you of anybody?) exposed to excessive stress were 60 percent more likely to die at any point in their lives than their more adventurous counterparts. So be less cautious with the decisions that won't kill you. (Okay, yellow lights are there for a reason.) Risk taking will improve your life.

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2. What's your relationship with the Internet?

Too much time checking Facebook or Instagram can deprive you of real-life thrills, according to a study out of St. Bonaventure University.

Dependent Internet users (those logging more than 8.5 hours a week outside of work) scored significantly lower than nondependent users on sensation and excitement seeking—the watchwords for a richly lived life. One reason: Dependent Internet users had fewer social connections.

"Find something new and exciting," advises Marvin Zuckerman, Ph.D., a professor emeritus at the University of Delaware and a leading researcher in sensation seeking.

That could mean a new sports car or skiing, “but it can also be a new sensory experience, as in music or art.” People can provide sensation: Yahoo paid 13 families to give up the Internet to see what would happen. In 2 weeks, their cellphone bills rose $200.

3. What's you beverage of choice?

Thrill seekers prefer sweet drinks, a study out of Sheffield Hallam University in England found. Sweet-eating animals (like the mutant breed "skateboarders") show elevated levels of dopamine--a neurotransmitter that helps you feel elation and pleasure and guides you to seek them out.

"The release of dopamine provides an intrinsic reward," says Zuckerman. "There is evidence that novelty and excitement can also release dopamine."

If your timid nature is denying you this natural high, blame Mom and Dad and their—ew!—sexual habits.

The University of Newcastle in England found that men born from October to March have higher levels of sensation seeking than April-to-September babies. Your dopamine levels are affected by the length of days even while you're in Mom's womb.

So if you were a warm-weather baby, take extra care to make adrenaline part of your life.

4. What kind of movies do you like best?

Scary movies provide an adrenaline rush, followed by a wave of relief and accomplishment.

"At the end of these films, people have quite a bit of arousal left over from being scared," says Glenn Sparks, Ph.D., a professor of communications at Purdue University who has studied fear. "The fear transfers to positive emotions."

If your girlfriend sticks it out with you, a little arousal of any kind will play into sexual arousal, says Zuckerman.

5. What's your casino game?

Laugh at the man reading Poker for Dummies in the parking lot of Mandalay Bay, but he'll be the one raising and bluffing you to the curb.

Research at the University of Georgia found that people risk more--and stand to reap more rewards--when they have confidence and a sense of control. Before a poker night, or a dinner with colleagues, read up on strategy or the headlines and you'll play, bet, and interact more freely.

"It's very difficult for them to follow a regimen, like dieting," says Farley. "They are variety seekers, priding themselves on change because they grow bored easily." If you're trying new foods, drinks, and sexual positions (at the same time!), you'll boost self-confidence, which comes from taking chances and succeeding.

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